Sarna camp's 5 DSGMC members switch sides

Five members of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) belonging to Paramjit Singh Sarna's Shiromani Akali Dal-Delhi on Monday lent support to committee president Manjit Singh GK of the SAD-Badal.

The five -- Jatinder Singh Sahni, Balbir Singh Vivek Vihar, Kuldeep Singh Karol Bagh, Amarpreet Singh Chandni Chowk and Inderjeet Singh Sabharwal - though have not yet decided to join the SAD-Badal as such, and announced formation of their own Akali faction.

Of the 46 seats of the DSGMC that went to polls on January 27, the incumbent Sarna group could win only eight, while Punjab's ruling Badals' party won 38. Now Sarna, who had lost his own seat to SAD-B's Manjinder Singh Sirsa, is left with three members.

Saran told HT that seven members of his group had, in fact, gone to meet Manit, and five had given him support, "as they wanted funds for their constituencies". "The five members given support to the ruling group, not joined the SAD-Badal," Sarna underlined.